The present invention is generally directed to a spray booth and, more particularly, to a fluid washer for a spray booth.
A number of prior art spray booths have included features designed to remove overspray particles from air that was to be exhausted from the spray booths. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,928 discloses a conventional down-draft water washer paint booth that utilizes an overhead conveyor for transporting a workpiece through the booth. A paint application station disposed in a spray chamber of the booth includes one or more spray guns connected to a source of paint. The paint booth includes an open metal grate floor separating the booth into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. A water trough includes a supply of water that defines a water surface located in a lower chamber of the booth.
The booth of U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,928 also includes air exhaust ducts positioned at opposite sides of the spray chamber to provide an airflow path between the lower chamber of the booth and an external environment. Water headers, having associated spray nozzles, are mounted within the ducts. A pump provides a pressurized source of water to the spray nozzles, which direct a water spray into their respective exhaust ducts to form a spray zone within the ducts. A portion of the water spray provided by the spray nozzles is directed toward an interior wall of the duct to form a continuous water curtain across the openings into the duct. The booth also includes exhaust fans mounted to the exhaust ducts to provide for the movement of air from the spray chamber to the external environment. During operation, overspray laden air is directed from the upper chamber through the floor grate and into the lower chamber through water curtains and then through the water spray provided by the spray nozzles. The water washed air stream is then drawn upward through a plurality of baffles and discharged to the external environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,550 discloses a recirculating water washer that includes a water nozzle positioned to direct a spray of water into an opening in a baffle formed within an exhaust air duct. Paint laden air is pulled through the opening and the water spray removes the paint from the air, which is then exhausted out an exhaust port. A number of other prior art water washers have utilized spiral nozzles to provide a water spray into an opening provided in a baffle of an exhaust air duct. However, in general, water washers that have utilized spiral nozzles to provide a spray into an opening in a baffle of an exhaust air duct have experienced paint buildup on the nozzle, which affects the nozzle spray pattern and eventually tends to clog the nozzle, thus, requiring periodic cleaning to prevent uneven air flows and particulate being released to the atmosphere.
As such, it would be desirable to provide a fluid washer for a spray booth that effectively cleans the air, while at the same time requires less maintenance.